Last summer, Unai Emery brought Youri Tielemans to Aston Villa on a free transfer after he reached the end of his contract at Leicester City. Tielemans had attracted interest from clubs across Europe in anticipation of his release, but it was Villa who won the race.

Now, heading into this summer, Villa could look to repeat the trick of snapping up a player from a relegated club in a transfer that wouldn't cost a penny. Luton Town came up from the Championship last year and could well end up going straight back down, having won only 20 points so far. The Hatters are just a point above the relegation zone heading into their final 15 Premier League games.

Villa one of the sides eyeing up Osho

According to Sportslens, Villa are watching Gabriel Osho at Luton, with his deal due to expire at the end of June. The defender has been "catching the eye" of clubs further up the division, including Villa, Fulham and Crystal Palace.

Luton hope to keep Osho if they stay up this season, but he's expected to join a more "established top-flight side" as a free agent if they do end up getting relegated.

"Gifted athlete" Osho shining despite Luton struggles

Osho was actually unattached when Luton signed him back in 2020 and, after spending time at Yeovil Town and Rochdale, he's now a key player at Kenilworth Road. He started 22 of the 31 Championship games for which he was available last season, and then made the XI for all three play-off matches as they earned a place in the Premier League for the first time in their history.

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David Comerford

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He missed the start of the current campaign because of an injury he suffered in pre-season, but manager Rob Edwards backed him to thrive in the top-flight at the outset.

He said: "He’s a naturally gifted athlete and someone who’s very intelligent as well, switched on, so I back him to step up to any challenge really. I think the level he was performing at last year was like a Premier League footballer anyway, so I expect him to be able to come in and handle it pretty well."

Osho has since repaid his boss' faith and earned a start in 13 of the past 14 games. As you can see in the table below, he's been extremely busy at the back, but perhaps the standout stat is the third one, which shows that he's proving very difficult for attackers to beat in individual battles.

Gabriel Osho stats	Volume	Rank vs centre-backs in top 5 leagues
Tackles per 90	1.98	83rd percentile
Tackles won per 90	1.35	88th percentile
% of dribblers tackled	68.8	80th percentile
Blocks per 90	1.9	95th percentile
Interceptions per 90	1.82	92nd percentile
Clearances per 90	5.07	87th percentile
Errors per 90	0.00	81st percentile

Edwards sounded relaxed about the situation when asked about it late last month, telling the press: "I don’t think we’ve got too many that will be out of contract. There’ll be one or two, but I think pretty much everyone is fairly comfortable with where they’re at and where they fit at the moment.

"It won’t be something that we’re worrying about addressing right now, the important thing is we get January out of the way and making sure we’re in a strong position when we come out of the month. Once we get into February, March-time we can really start assessing where everyone’s at contract-wise and what we do going forward."

It remains to be seen whether the emergence of interest from Villa and other top-flight clubs causes Luton to try to accelerate their plans with Osho, but the player himself may be waiting to discover their fate before he commits.

Southampton will aim to pick up a much-needed win playing in front of the St. Mary's masses tonight, Russell Martin's men losing their last two clashes on their own patch to the dismay of the disgruntled home supporters watching on.

Martin will hope his Saints troops are buoyed on by the nature of their dramatic win against Birmingham City last time out to pick up another result, Joe Aribo's 96th minute tap-in handing the stuttering automatic promotion hopefuls the three points in an action-packed 4-3 contest.

The 38-year-old boss will be wrestling with what side to pick for the task of overcoming Ryan Lowe's Preston North End now, with one usually reliable star potentially being sacrificed for fresh blood to instead get a chance to impress.

Flynn Downes' performance vs Birmingham in numbers

Usually one of the first names on Martin's teamsheet, West Ham United loanee Flynn Downes could find his once secure spot in his manager's first-team plans up in the air against Preston after a below-par showing last match.

Downes' performance was timid when compared to the likes of Will Smallbone dazzling in the centre of the park for Southampton, with the homegrown Saints man picking up two assists to play a key role in the exciting 4-3 win.

In contrast, the ex-Swansea City midfielder was quiet.

Downes did come away from the barnstorming victory with four key passes notched up and a 96% passing accuracy next to his name, but that didn't translate into the 25-year-old picking up an assist or goal for his troubles.

The Hammers loanee also dodged winning his fair share of duels in the 4-3 win, passively winning just one of the four duels he launched himself into.

Once labelled as being a "monstrous" talent by his Saints manager who managed him further when the pair were both at Swansea, Downes could now well drop out of Martin's lineup for him to test out a different central midfielder from the get-go against Preston.

The player that could replace Flynn Downes

The most logical switch-up would see Aribo come into the first-team fold after bagging the vital winner against the Blues, the ex-Rangers man rewarded with a start subsequently.

Southampton's £70k-per-week man has been knocking on the door for more first-team opportunities recently, impressing away from just being the hero at St Andrew's.

Chalkboard

Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.

The Nigerian midfielder would only need 45 minutes against Hull City in mid-February to bag another goal for the Saints, winning seven duels in that 2-1 defeat too in what proved to be an impactful off-the-bench appearance for the 27-year-old.

Aribo played the role of heroic substitute perfectly again in the 4-3 victory over Tony Mowbray's hosts last time out, managing to upstage Downes with a solitary duel won alongside firing in the crucial winner at the death.

Minutes played

20

Goals scored

1

Touches

25

Accurate passes

20/22 (91%)

Duels won

1/1

Possession lost

2x

It could well be argued that axing Downes completely could be viewed as an overreaction, but Martin would be silly not to unleash Aribo from the start after offering up yet another energetic run-out for his promotion-chasing side from so little time on the pitch.

With Smallbone and Stuart Armstrong offering more than Downes did last time out – the Scotsman livelier when committing himself into duels with three won – the regular first-teamer could be given a rare day off for Aribo to shine.

Candid allrounder accepts lifestyle fell short of standards during tough year, but is itching to make up lost ground

Daniel Brettig at The Oval12-Sep-2019A candid Mitchell Marsh has revealed the extent of his spiral out of the Australian set-up last summer and also his path back to playing the fifth and final Ashes Test, despite what he readily acknowledges is a fractious relationship with many of those who follow the game Down Under.”Yeah, most of Australia hate me,” he said with amusing resignation. “Australians are very passionate, they love their cricket, they want people to do well. There’s no doubt I’ve had a lot of opportunity at Test level and I haven’t quite nailed it, but hopefully they can respect me for the fact I keep coming back and I love playing for Australia, I love the baggy green cap and I’ll keep trying and hopefully I’ll win them over one day.”Named one of two Test team vice-captains ahead of the 2018-19 season, Marsh was initially a central part of plans being drawn up by the Australian coach Justin Langer, but a poor tour of the UAE against Pakistan and then a brief and unproductive stint at home against India left him not only out of the Test side but removed from World Cup calculations and also losing his Cricket Australia contract.Marsh said that personal issues, including the suicide of a close friend late last year, combined with underperformance and fitness issues to leave him a long way from enjoying the game. It took extensive work on his fitness, technical elements of his game and also his mentality with the Western Australia sports psychologist Matt Burgin to put him into the place where he was able to squeeze onto the Ashes tour. At The Oval he was given permission by Langer to attack with the ball, resulting in arguably his finest Test bowling display so far.”I wasn’t making runs – if you bat No. 4 for Australia you need to make runs,” Marsh said. “Last year was a range of stuff, a few things in my personal life. I lost a close friend to suicide at the start of the summer and when things like that happen, I didn’t handle it as well as I could have and that transitioned into my cricket at times as well. I understand everyone goes through tough periods in their life but I certainly didn’t handle it as best I could.”But to have gone through that and got through the summer the way I did and finished with WA, I knew I still had love for the game. It was a tough summer last year. I tried to put it behind me as quickly as possible and here I am. It took me until probably March, the last three Shield games of the year for WA. When you play cricket or you do anything and you want to do well badly and it doesn’t work out, it’s very easy to get down on yourself.”I was certainly at that stage, so I did a lot of work with our sports psych Matt Burgin at WA just about detaching myself from the outcome, working as hard as I can, getting as fit as I can, preparing well and it sort of started from there. I’ve hardly played any cricket since then but that’s what I’ve been doing.”At the same time, Marsh’s physical fitness had measured up poorly against the likes of Ben Stokes, forcing him to make numerous lifestyle and diet changes in order to do better. “As a professional athlete when you have setbacks you always think the worst, you think you might not play again after a summer I had last year,” he said. “There’s been no secret recipe, I’ve just worked my arse off for the last five months hoping to get another opportunity.”I wanted to come here and have a positive influence on this group, i think I’ve done that running the drinks and I just waited for my opportunity. I don’t necessarily eat that bad, I’m just a big eater, so I probably cut down my portion sizes a fair bit. There’s no secret JL’s certainly challenged me from a fitness perspective, he wanted me to get fitter and stronger and over the last six months I’ve put everything I’ve had into it.”I’ve certainly changed my lifestyle a little bit, I’m waking up every day trying to be the best cricketer I can be, and today was good reward for that but it’s one day of a Test match. It wasn’t terrible [but] my body likes to put on weight easily and my mum loves to feed me, so I haven’t had as many roasts at home the last six months, but it hasn’t been that hard. I love playing for Australia, I just love it, and I want to keep doing it, so I’ll keep working my arse off.”Marsh’s contribution at The Oval was very welcome for the Test team at the end of a draining series, and he hoped it would be the start of a far more productive run in the team. “I think in the past my role as a bowler has been to hold an end,” he said. “JL came up to me before the start of play and at lunch time and he just said ‘go for it, attack, bowl the way you want to bowl’, and I was a little bit, not shocked, but it gave me the confidence to go out there and give it everything I had.”Maybe a change of mentality allowed me to bowl a bit more attackingly as a player and it was fun. I want to be the best I can be at both batting and bowling, I don’t really want to pigeonhole one of them. No doubt as an allrounder at times you certainly hit them better than you’re bowling or vice versa but that’s just something that happens in cricket I guess as an allrounder. I want to be the best allrounder I can be in both facets of the game.”

تلقى فريق برشلونة خبرًا مقلقًا آخر خلال فترة التوقف الدولي الحالي، الخاص بشهر أكتوبر، فيما يتعلق بتعرض أحد لاعبيه للإصابة رفقة منتخب بلاده.

كان لامين يامال قد تعرض لشد عضلي، خلال مباراة إسبانيا والدنمارك في بطولة دوري الأمم الأوروبية، يوم السبت الماضي.

وتسبب ذلك في استبعاد لامين يامال من مباراة إسبانيا وصربيا في البطولة نفسها، وعودته إلى برشلونة لتلقي العلاج المناسب.

ولكن الأخبار المثيرة للقلق لم تتوقف عند هذا الحد بالنسبة لنادي برشلونة، حيث صرّح المدير الفني لمنتخب بولندا اليوم بأن روبرت ليفاندوفسكي يعاني من إصابة.

اقرأ أيضًا.. سبورت: لابورتا يخطط لصفقة مدوية من الدوري الإنجليزي قبل نهاية مشواره مع برشلونة

ويخوض منتخب بولندا مباراته في دوري الأمم الأوروبية في الجولة الرابعة، ضد نظيره منتخب كرواتيا.

وتواجد روبرت ليفاندوفسكي على دكة البدلاء، حيث ظن البعض أن ذلك القرار يأتي كنوع من الراحة.

ولكن المدير الفني لمنتخب بولندا صرّح كون نجم برشلونة يعاني من إصابة طفيفة، حسبما ذكرت شبكة “كادينا سير” الإسبانية.

وأوضحت أن ليفاندوفسكي تعرض لتلك الإصابة خلال عمليات الإحماء، دون الكشف عن طبيعتها.

وعلى الرغم من كون ليفاندوفسكي دخل المباراة كبديل في الدقيقة 62، إلا أن برشلونة سيراقب وضعه عن كثب، خشية أي مشاكل.

ويُعد روبرت ليفاندوفسكي يُعد جزءًا أساسيًا من كتيبة هانز فليك في برشلونة، هذا الموسم.

وتمكن ليفاندوفسكي من تسجيل 10 أهداف في 9 مباريات في النسخة الحالية من الدوري الإسباني، ليتصدر قائمة الهدافين حاليًا.

Wrexham have shown interest in signing two Millwall players as they look to bolster their squad ahead of competing in League One.

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• Wrexham want Millwall stars
• Look to bolster squad ahead of League One journey
• Will begin pre-season in July

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  After securing back-to-back promotions to the English third division, the Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney-owned side are now looking to rebuild their squad to put up a strong performance in the upcoming season.

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  THE BIGGER PICTURE

  According to the South London Press, the Red Dragons are reportedly keen on landing Millwall duo Wes Harding and Tom Bradshaw to bolster their backline and attack respectively. Jamaica international Harding made 24 appearances in the Championship last season in his maiden campaign with The Lions. The defender, however, is now considering making a move to the third-tier side in search of regular game time. Bradshaw, on the other hand, is entering the final year of his contract and thus will be available for a much cheaper price.

• DID YOU KNOW?

  The Welsh side have made it clear that they mean business this season as they have started to make statement signings since the start of the transfer window. The club have already signing ex-Arsenal goalkeeper Arthur Okonkwo and defender Lewis Brunt from newly-promoted Premier League side Leicester City.

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  WHAT NEXT FOR WREXHAM?

  Phil Parkinson's side are set to regroup later this month as they are scheduled to travel to the US for pre-season where they will face clubs like Chelsea, Bournemouth and Vancouver Whitecaps.

As if a points deduction-induced relegation battle wasn't bad enough, Everton now have something of an injury crisis on their hands as they fight to stay in the Premier League.

Latest Everton injury news

Sitting just one point adrift of safety, the next fourteen games have become a race to retain their topflight status and stave off any further sanctions from the league. In what will be a momentous challenge for the Toffees, it is vital that manager, Sean Dyche, has his full squad available for the run-in.

After Ben Godfrey limped off in the second half of Saturday's 2-0 loss at the hands of Man City, Everton are now staring down a growing list of first-team players out of action. Andre Gomes' calf injury is set to keep him sidelined for the foreseeable future, whilst Abdoulaye Doucoure is not far off a return after sustaining an issue with his hamstring.

Good news on the injury front comes in the returns of Amadou Onana and Seamus Coleman, who both featured in the loss at the Etihad Stadium. Despite this, the Toffees' faithful will be disappointed to hear that they will be without another player going into key fixtures against Crystal Palace and Brighton.

Aranut Danjuma injury update

Following Saturday's game, the Liverpool Echo reported a new injury blow from Dyche on Aranut Danjuma, who admitted the forward looks likely to remain unavailable for the next two weeks due to the ankle issue he suffered against Fulham, missing the upcoming two games in the process. Life on Merseyside has not been easy for the Dutchman, with 20 appearances yielding just two goals for the 27-year-old.

Despite recent struggles, Danjuma's quality is clear with 25 goal contributions in 37 games for Bournemouth back in the 2020/21 season, first putting him on the radar of English fans. Whilst falling just short of promotion from the Championship after losing to Brentford, two goals for Danjuma in the semi-final ties showed that his future lay beyond England's second tier.

What followed was another successful spell, this time with Spanish side Villarreal. It was his time in Spain that saw him earn plaudits from then manager, Unai Emery. Now in charge at Aston Villa, Emery spoke of transfer links to his former player last year, telling reporters:

"He's a good player and, last year, he played very well at Villarreal with us. But now I'm not thinking about him."

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Now back in England with Everton, Danjuma's impact stretches well beyond his single league goal this season. The forward stands out as an important part of the Toffees attack, taking almost four shots per 90, the fourth most among his teammates. As per Fbref, the Dutchman, is also a danger with the ball at his feet, ranking fourth in his side for successful take-ons and second for progressive carries per 90.

Whilst only without Danjuma for two games, Everton fans will likely have earmarked these upcoming fixtures as opportunities to pick up some much-needed points. As Everton attempt to retain their status as just one of six sides to have never been relegated from the Premier League, there is no doubt that Danjuma may have a part to play in this fight.

West Ham United and chairman David Sullivan have been told they could sign a "bargain" replacement for Lucas Paqueta, and he may be available for "next to nothing".

Lucas Paqueta exit fears surround West Ham

Supporters reluctantly waved goodbye to former club captain and fan favourite Declan Rice last summer, and if recent reports are to be believed, Paqueta may well follow the England international to pastures new.

Journalist has "heard" West Ham are eyeing "underrated" Moyes replacement

The Hammers boss’ future remains up in the air.

ByEmilio Galantini Mar 1, 2024

Paqueta is attracting interest from Man City, Arsenal, Aston Villa and Tottenham ahead of the summer window, with reliable journalist Fabrizio Romano lifting the lid on an £85 million buy-out clause which becomes active in June.

SC Freiburg

March 7th

Burnley

March 10th

SC Freiburg

March 14th

Aston Villa

March 17th

Newcastle United

March 30th

The 26-year-old has started 20 league matches, scoring two goals and assisting five others, and has been one of West Ham's star players alongside winger Jarrod Bowen.

“Lucas was terrific,” Moyes said on Paqueta. “He drives me mad sometimes but everybody who watched him would have said: ‘This player has got incredible talent’.

“There is a word that goes around, a maverick. He is that for us. It is really important we get him in and adapt to him and accept some of his things. He may not do things which are what I would say conventional but we are really enjoying him at the moment and he is terrific at taking the ball under pressure. But also there are moments when I say: ‘What are you doing?’”

Paqueta attracted real interest from Man City last summer, and were attempting to get a deal done, but their move was put on ice following investigations into the South American's alleged gambling breaches.

West Ham have "world-class" Dybala opportunity

He's set to be a hot topic of discussion again this year, and journalist Robin Bairner has claimed in a piece for Football Transfers that West Ham have a "world-class" opportunity to sign Paulo Dybala as a replacement.

Even though they play different positions, Bairner says that Paqueta's level of excitement could be replicated by Dybala, who's scored 12 goals and assisted seven others in 19 league appearances this season.

Dybala's contract also contains a pretty tantalising £12 million release clause, which Roma are working "hard" to eradicate right now. This sort of fee, as per Bairner, is a potential "bargain" with the World Cup winner also bringing plenty of pedigree to the table.

Pundit Paddy Kenny, speaking to Football Insider on Tottenham's links to Dybala in 2021, called him a would-be "statement" signing.

“But you look at the players Tottenham did sign, two of them from Juventus," said Kenny. “Conte was at Juve as well so if he stays at Tottenham then maybe he can convince Dybala to join. What a statement that would be, by the way, he’s a brilliant player and one Tottenham would love to have.”

Tottenham have surprisingly been named as contenders to sign a club's £85 million player who's "guaranteed" to leave this summer.

Spurs looking to bolster key areas for Postecoglou

Over the last few weeks, reports out of Spurs have suggested that technical director Johan Lange and the wider recruitment team are seeking to bolster a number of key areas.

Ange could sell star who's had his best season at Tottenham – pundit

He’s hugely popular at the club.

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The north Londoners have been linked with a new centre-back, like Bournemouth's Lloyd Kelly, and reliable journalists like Miguel Delaney have claimed that Spurs want a new winger as their "major" signing this summer.

Some reports have also suggested that Tottenham want a new striker to replace Harry Kane, despite Richarlison's fine form over the last few months.

With many players looking like potential candidates for the Spurs exit door, there could be room for new arrivals all over the pitch, and it is believed manager Ange Postecoglou wants new full-back options as alternatives to star duo Pedro Porro and Destiny Udogie.

Fulham (away)

March 16th

Luton Town (home)

March 30th

West Ham (away)

April 2nd

Nottingham Forest (home)

April 8th

Newcastle United (away)

April 13th

“My understanding is they are looking for someone who can possibly play both sides, not Diego Dalot but someone of that ilk,” said journalist Graeme Bailey to Tottenham News recently.

“I wouldn’t necessarily rule it out, Walker-Peters is someone who Chelsea looked at as well. For these signings as well, the fourth centre-half I still think is probably Lloyd Kelly or Tosin Adarabioyo to come in on a free. Good Premier League players but at the end of the day, they are going to be fourth choice. Spurs don’t need to go and spend £60 million on a centre half.”

While Postecoglou's side are thought to be considering their options all over the pitch, one area they definitely don't need to reinforce is the goalkeeping position. Since coming in from Empoli last summer, Guglielmo Vicario has been exceptional and one of the division's most in-form shot-stoppers.

"He has been strong pretty much from the first game," Postecoglou said on Vicario's form.

"Some games we haven't needed a lot and today we did. The saves he made but also the way he dealt with corners was so strong – they put so much pressure on the goalkeeper. He's a great shot-stopper and is dealing with a different back four in lots of games. He's got a maturity which helps the team in those moments."

Tottenham named as potential destination for Mamardashvili

The need for another keeper is arguably void, but as per Estadio Deportivo and journalist Luisma Sanchez, Tottenham have surprisingly been named as a potential suitor for Valencia shot-stopper Giorgi Mamardashvili.

The Georgian's contract includes an £85 million release clause, but it's near-impossible any side will pay for that for a goalkeeper. Mamardashvili has been one of Valencia's star players over the last couple of seasons, but as pointed out by Estadio, his exit is "practically guaranteed".

MatériaMais Notícias

Nesta segunda-feira (3), o Fiel LGBT, coletivo de torcedores do Corinthians, divulgou uma carta aberta acusando o clube de falta de diálogo, desde que as partes se reuniram, no começo do ano, para abrir mais espaços para as causas e ideias defendidas pelo grupo. O Timão, por sua vez, divulgou nota oficial dizendo-se “estarrecido” pelo teor do texto e lamentou o desgaste da relação.

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TABELA
> Veja classificação e simulador do Paulistão-2021 clicando aqui

GALERIA
>Timão mantém invencibilidade contra São Paulo na Neo Química Arena; veja

Confira a carta aberta divulgada pelo Fiel LGBT

“INSATISFAÇÃO

Carta aberta ao Sport Club Corinthians Paulista, pelo coletivo FIEL LGBT, onde temos a finalidade de obtermos respostas e demonstrar nossa insatisfação com a falta de retorno do clube para com nossas tentativas de comunicação, que até o momento não foram respondidas.

Narrando os fatos, temos o seguinte:

– Após o episódio da publicação homofóbica direcionada aos torcedores do SPFC (São Paulo Futebol Clube), fomos chamados para conversar e levar nossas ideias para serem analisadas, algum tempo se passou e não tivemos retorno;

– Enviamos uma proposta do uso da nossa faixa para exibição na Arena e Fazendinha, e não tivemos retorno;

-Desde a nossa criação não recebemos reconhecimento nenhum por nosso trabalho.

Esses são alguns dos motivos para nossa insatisfação

Sabemos das dificuldades atuais, porém existem departamentos e cada um cuida da sua área e só precisamos no momento do MARKETING e RESPONSABILIDADE SOCIAL, quanto a faixa, nós iremos produzir sem que o clube gaste com ela.

Veja também a nota oficial divulgada pelo Corinthians:

“O Sport Club Corinthians Paulista recebe com surpresa a carta aberta do coletivo Fiel LGBT, publicada nas redes sociais.

Na reunião realizada em janeiro, ainda nos primeiros dias da atual gestão, ficou combinado entre o Clube e o coletivo que o ponto focal para o diálogo sobre temáticas sociais era o Departamento de Responsabilidade Social do clube.

Estarrece-nos, portanto, que o referido departamento não tenha sido sequer contactado antes de o grupo tomar a atitude pública desta manhã, em suas redes sociais, o que pudemos verificar em sindicância interna.

Nada disso colabora para o avanço das sugestões encaminhadas ao clube. Apenas causa desgaste desnecessário a uma instituição que permanece fiel à sua História de luta pela igualdade, bem como a uma gestão atenta aos debates democráticos do presente, conforme demonstram nossas recentes manifestações sobre o tema LGBT”

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Mo Bobat, the man whose analytical approach helped to change the way that England’s squads are selected, has been named as the ECB’s new Performance Director for men’s cricket.Bobat, who is currently the board’s Player Identification Lead, will take charge from David Parsons, who left the post in July. He will work closely alongside Chris Silverwood, the newly appointed head coach, and Ed Smith, the national selector, to support the delivery of performance plans and selection strategy.A 36-year-old former PE teacher from Leicester, Bobat studied sports science and management and is also in the process of completing a Masters in sporting directorship. Prior to joining the ECB in 2011, he worked as a lecturer and teacher in Leicester, augmenting his experience as a Level 4 certified cricket coach.”I am delighted and honoured to be appointed Performance Director, at what is an exciting time for English cricket,” said Bobat.”I am looking forward to working closely with both Chris Silverwood and Ed Smith, and in doing so, supporting the performance needs of our England teams and moving us closer to achieving our aim of being the most respected team in the world.”Developing strong relationships with our counties to enhance the size and quality of our talent pool will be paramount. I aim to ensure that our highest potential players receive individualised support and international-specific experiences.”It is a hugely exciting role and the vision is that the strength of our counties and our high-performance system delivers deliberate and sustained success across all formats.”Commenting on the appointment, Ashley Giles, the managing director of England’s Men’s Cricket, added: “The position of Performance Director is a critical post in the development of our long-term strategy for elite performance. Mo demonstrated through his knowledge and experience that he has the attributes to take us forward in this area.”He will be responsible for identifying our highest potential players and leading programmes that will bridge the gap between county and international cricket helping us to deliver successful, respected and inspiring England players and teams.”The Performance Director will work closely with our network of counties to enhance the size and quality of our talent pool and ensuring that we’re jointly making decisions in each player’s best long-term interests.”We have to develop a long-term strategy that identifies the best players in the country that can step up and excel in the international cricket arena. We will expose them to learn and perform in all conditions around the world.”